DRAFT 2009: EXPERT PREDICTIONS UPDATED

We are two days away from the 2009 NBA Draft and as we all know, the 76ers hold the 17th pick this year. Even at this late stage, there does not seem to be a consensus on what move the Sixers will make. As you slide down the Draft Board to the Sixers it seems that most “experts” feel Ed Stefanski will take a guard at number seventeen. Could be a point guard, could be a shooting guard or it could be a combo guard, who knows. But there are also those who think the Sixers have their eye on yet anoth and after his surprise workout for the Sixers this past weekend, it could be a real possibility for the Sixers. However we think it is a smoke screen.

Once again, we searched the world wide web and gathered up a host of “expert” opinions on what to expect from the Sixers on Draft Night 2009. While we did find a lead candidate, we think you’ll surprised at the lack of agreement among the “experts” and how many of them are flip-flopping on their predictions as well as a few of the names being put out there as a possible pick by Philadunkia’s home team.

Our leader when we first sampled the “experts” with about 10 days left before the NBA Draft was VCU’s Maynor. Now with just two days left before the 2009 NBA Draft, the leader (3 votes) by the slimmest of margins (1 vote) is Carolina’s Ty Lawson. Just behind him with two votes a piece are Wake’s Jeff Teague and Zona’s Chase Budinger. Also two new names appeared in this sampling. Yahoo Sports has the Sixers taking Big East beast DeJuan Blair and CBSsports.com likes the 76ers to select hometown kid Gerald Henderson (Episcopal Academy on City Ave.).

The strangest part of the whole second sampling of “expert” opinions is that of the four experts who selected Maynor is our first sampling, not a single one stuck by their original prediction. We have not heard anything about Maynor falling flat in his workout for the Sixers, but something must have happened somewhere along the workout trail for Maynor to simply disappear from the Sixers radar and slide into the twenties now on most mock drafts.